3 days later.
— "Argh... Run... It's too late for everyone already... cough cough... Rocket... argh... Marky... damn it... Go away... please... Stay away from Naxel... live your life, please... don't look back... don't go after them! LIVE YOUR LIFE!!!"
Finally, the big day had arrived. Three days had passed since Mana visited the Reixys House. And with that, the day she would turn 19 arrived. On a night following a long, rainy day, it was time to celebrate with her family. The destination was the workshop.
The neon lights were brighter than ever that night. The potholes in the asphalt, flooded with mud, reflected the glow. Life in the streets continued after a dense daytime storm. The dealers were doing their routine work—sales and movement; the urban chaos, beautiful and chaotic, that everyone loved so much. And in that setting, Rocket, Marky, and Norty made their daily trek to Naxes' workshop.
SPLASH!!!
— "FUCK, MUD PUDDLE!!! GO TO HELL!!!"
Marky, carelessly, sank his left foot into a mud puddle. The dirty water overflowed. His boots and pants were filthy. Everyone in those cramped, busy alleys looked at the promising engineer having a breakdown.
— "DAMN IT, MARKY!!! DON'T GO SCREAMING IN THE MIDDLE OF THE STREET, YOU IDIOT!!!"
Rocket contradicted herself, letting out an ear-splitting scream right after, disturbing every merchant and resident of BigFellLight. The lights seemed to "sizzle" with her shouts. Something everyone living there was used to; it was the routine.
— "DAMN IT, YOU IDIOT!!! STOP SCREAMING AT THE FUCKING MUD PUDDLE, DAMN IT!!! DON'T MAKE US LOOK LIKE FOOLS, IDIO—"
— "THAT'S IT, BOSS!!! KEEP SCREAMING AT THE MUD PUDDLE, GO FOR IT!!!! BEAT IT UP!!!"
Norty abruptly interrupted Rocket's shout. Her ears faced someone capable of screaming as loud as her, or even louder. Few things were as annoying as the healthy vocal cords of a 16-year-old.
— "ARGH!!! YOU TWO ARRO—"
Tap!
A gentle tap touched her shoulder, interrupting her. She looked back, recognizing the figure.
— "Ah, is it you, Jock? Looking for trouble?"
— "Hahah!!! Fiery as always, huh, Rocket?
Hah, no, no... You don't owe me; I just came to give you this."
The man named Jock pulled a spring from his waist. With a rounded design and pointed sides for fitting, Rocket immediately recognized the part: an impact spring used for weapons, made so they wouldn't explode from the recoil. The kind of part the illegal gunsmiths there used the most.
— "I heard that... look, I'll be blunt..."
The man blushed, looking in the opposite direction of Rocket.
— "Everyone here knows... today is Mana's birthday, isn't it? Well... that girl is very special to all of us here in BigFellLight... argh... don't look at me like that!!! This is my gift to her!!!"
The man was as red as a tomato, typical of someone trying to maintain a tough posture in a dangerous place, but in that situation, his pose was completely dismantled.
— "Hah!... Look at that. If the scary Jock, the biggest arms dealer in BigFellLight, grew attached to a little girl, huh... how cute."
She spoke ironically, but in truth, everyone there cared about Mana. Jock's embarrassment was as visible as his affection.
— "Argh!!! Don't fuck with me, Rocket!!! Just give it to her, okay? And hahah, watch out for your boyfriend over there!"
He pointed behind Rocket, who witnessed the embarrassing sight of Marky continuing to vent his rage on the mud puddle while Norty cheered him on uncontrollably.
— "ARGH!!! YOU SONS OF BITCHES!!! STOP THAT, DAMN IT!!!"
— "Huh?"
— "What the hell is she talki—"
VASH!!!
Rocket slid in a swift leg sweep, knocking both of them down and snapping them out of their hallucinatory trances as they tumbled to the ground.
CRACK!!!
They smashed their faces into the asphalt.
— "IDIOTS!!! IDIOTS!!! WE NEED TO HURRY, DAMN IT!!! DON'T BE STUPID, FUCK!!!"
They remembered: Mana's birthday. They needed to run.
— "DAMN IT!!! LOOK AT YOU, MARKY, YOU'RE FILTHY, SHIT!!! AND YOU, NORTY!!! ARGHH, DAMN IT, GO ALREADY, IDIOTS, RUN!!! I'M GOING TO GET ANOTHER PAIR OF PANTS AND BOOTS FOR MARKY. GO!!!"
Rocket took off in a fast sprint, running toward their homes and leaving Marky and Norty paralyzed by her screams. From a distance, she yelled a warning:
— "GO ALREADY, YOU IDIOTS!!! AND JOCK, THANKS!!! MANA WILL LOVE IT!!!"
— "Hahah! Naxes and his 'daughters',
exactly alike! And you two, aren't you go—?"
VUSH!!!
Marky and Norty sped off, leaving only a trail of mud and dust behind.
— "Hah... these youngsters... You really did a great job with them, Naxes... Huh... is it my imagination or is there a fire starting over there?... These sounds..."
BANG! BANG! BANG!
— "Hm... sounds like gunshots... what the hell is this..."
— "ARRGHHH!!!"
— "What the hell is that?!?!?! A SCREAM!!!"
GVRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!
— "ARGH!!!"
— "SHIT!!! WHO ARE THESE BASTARDS???!?!?!"
— "WHAT THE HELL, WHO ARE YOU PEOPLE???!!?!"
TAP! TAP! TAP! TAP! TAP!
Marky and Norty were already very far from that spot. They couldn't stop.
— "Argh... Boss... did you hear that? It sounded like a saw... it seemed to come from where Jock was... there were screams... I don't know... shouldn't we go back?"
They moved through the crowds at extreme speeds, bumping into people and kicking up mud puddles. The air displacement nearly knocked over stalls and cut the lights. They had to hurry.
— "Relax, Norty! It's probably just some stupid fight, hehe. As tough as Jock is, it'll be over in a heartbeat. It's probably just some idiot firing shots!"
— "Yeah... I think you're right, boss! It's all good!"
— "Heheh! That's it, kid. Besides, we're almost there!"
The distance was covered quickly. The workshop was already visible and open; two figures could be seen. Not everyone had arrived yet; there was still time to avoid a scolding.
— "HAHAH! WE MADE IT, IDIOT!!! SEE? ZOMBIEDEN AND ANNULA ARE ALREADY INSIDE. LET'S GO IN!!!"
Zombieden and Annula watched from inside, waving to the two who were completely sweaty and exhausted, running clumsily into the workshop.
— "Hahah... and to think these two would get here before Naxes, huh, Annula?"
— "You're right, Zombieden. Hahah, unthinkable."
Norty took a leap inside, covering about 20 meters. The boy approached full of excitement.
— "HAHAH!!! WE'RE HERE, GUYS!!!"
But suddenly, he felt a hand pulling the hood of his jacket, choking him. He felt his neck snap with the impact and the pain of his throat being crushed. Before he could process the pain or the reason for it, a scream was heard, different from all the others:
— "SHIT, NORTY, WATCH OUT!!!!!"
BOOOOM!!!!!!!!!
An explosion. The two were thrown for meters, hitting the ground with a violent and brutal impact.
— "Argh!!! cough cough!!! Shit!!!"
The smell of smoke began to spread. Infernal. Sickening.
— "ARGHH!!!! SHIT!!!! ZOMBIEDEN, ANNULA!!!! NO!!!!"
The smell of blood and burnt flesh grew more and more.
— "ARGHHH!!!! WHAT THE HELL!!! WHAT HAPPENED??!?!? DAMN IT!!!"
There was a ringing in their ears. The smell of blood entered their nostrils and pulsed with a cursed urge to vomit.
— "LET GO OF ME, MARKY!!! ANNULA!!! ZOMBIEDEN!!! DAMN IT, LET GO OF ME!!! THEM!!! THEM!!!"
Cursed terror. Infinite chaos present in every area: burns, severely damaged eardrums. Marky was in a trance, while Norty struggled and screamed, trying to get to his friends. The red was blood. Deaths.
— "Argh... argh... Norty... they..."
Slowly, kneeling on the ground, Marky saw the most terrifying image of his life. The absolute terror his mind would never erase. The most disturbing vision: the workshop in flames, totally destroyed. Looking at it, he had the tragic certainty: Zombieden and Annula were swallowed by the explosion. They were dead, their bodies torn to pieces. The ringing grew. He heard the gunshots increase.
BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!
He saw his entire history transform into dead flesh before his eyes. Faced with the hell in front of him, he could have no other reaction.
— "ARRRREGHHHHHH!!!!!!!"
An infernal scream ripped through his throat; his body, covered in burns, trembled. Marky was consumed by terror. Tears slid down his face while his scorched skin burned. Norty finally saw what the place where he grew up had become: hell had consumed everything. The fire spread. Infinite suffering; the bodies on the ground, a bloodbath. Gunshots tore through the air above their heads.
— "ARGH... ARGHH!!!... ARGHH... WHAT??!?!?! WHY?????!?! OH MY GOD... OH MY GOD."
Norty collapsed completely. His mind was broken by the chaos; he heard the screams echoing:
— "ARGHHH!!! HELP!!!"
— "PLEASE, HELP!!!"
— "NO!!! I DIDN'T DO ANYTHING!!! SOMEONE HELP ME!!!!"
BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!
— "DON'T COME CLOSE!!! ARRGHHH!!!!"
The hell grew larger and larger. Norty urinated in his pants, seized by dread. Marky's eyes were wide as they could be. His vision captured one of the most horrific scenes his mind could witness.
— "Arghh... please, no..."
A mother, an elderly lady, was on top of her son, who was about 30 years old. His body had three punctures in the torso. The old woman cried for mercy.
— "Please... we didn't do anything... I beg you... we were just..."
BANG!
A shot ended her plea, finishing their lives. Marky saw, amidst the smoke and flames, a soldier responsible for that scene his eyes could never "unsee." A soldier in noble attire, militarized gear, and an X.KlRH rifle, produced only by the weapon factories of Powermagi. It wasn't something handcrafted; that came from the "top." His eyes fixed on that soldier. The blue suit was engraved with a golden crest with wings. He saw it. His eyes trembled with infernal hatred. He fixed his gaze and read only one word engraved on that crest: "REIXYS."
— "Reixys?... You... you... YOU BASTARDS!!!"
His eyes trembled. His tears, beyond despair and terror, intensified with uncontrolled hatred.
— "YOU CURSED BASTARDS!!! YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS!!! YOU'VE ALREADY TAKEN EVERYTHING FROM US!!! WHAT ELSE DO YOU WANT TO TAKE?!??!!!???."
His scream broke the air. Hatred, despair, anguish; everything took over his heart. That whole place, his home, those people he loved so much... everything destroyed, swallowed by flames and washed in blood. The damned nobles destroyed everything. He trembled non-stop. Norty was in a complete trance. That soldier looked in the direction of the scream and noticed them.
— "THERE!!! I FOUND MORE
BASTARDS!!! FINISH THEM!!!"
Three more soldiers emerged from the flames and aimed their rifles. Marky regained consciousness. He saw Norty paralyzed beside him; he couldn't afford to die.
— "SHIT!!! LET'S GO, NORTY!!!"
The soldiers opened fire on them.
BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!
Marky quickly jumped, pulling the stunned Norty by the wrist and throwing himself with him into the middle of the debris, fire, and smoke. The shots dissipated the flames, which soon burned again, opening holes in the concrete of the ground. But it was in vain; Marky and Norty had vanished amidst the destruction.
— "Argh!!! These rats are slippery, damn it!!!"
Teck!
They reloaded their rifles.
— "Let's get them! Lord Hiro's orders are to leave none of these rats alive!!! Destroy everything!!! Let's burn this whole slum down and, with it, kill the traitor Mana Reixys!!!"
— "YES, SIR!!!"
All four soldiers prepared to follow the tracks left by Marky and Norty. But suddenly...
!!!!!!!
A heavy energy filled their hearts. A horrible sensation took over the hearts of those monsters. Soon, a worse monster was there.
— "Huh?... You guys are working hard, aren't you? Come on... won't you leave anything for me?"
A melodic voice came from behind the men
—terrifying, belonging to that terrible aura. They turned quickly, saluting.
— "A THOUSAND APOLOGIES, LORD SNAKESH!"
— "YES, SIR!!! IF YOU WISH, WE WILL WORK LESS!!!"
— "THAT'S RIGHT, LORD SNAKESH!!!"
Everyone was in a position of total submission. There stood Sub-general Snakesh Troopers, of the noble sub-family.
— "Ah, take it easy... I'm just messing with you... it's just, argh... damn it... there's nothing left for me... That Mazikin Yegrande guy is fucking everything up, man! Shit, I had no idea there would be cyborgs here... I already told Hiro!!! He shouldn't call me for massacres when there are cyborgs involved!!! I hate cyborgs!!! They are always so repulsive! That Mazikin Yegrande guy himself... Shit!!! That guy has two saws on his left arm, what the fuck! He's brutalizing every rat here!!! I've already seen about 20 people dismantled to the max!!! Shit, that guy is scary, they say they call him The Executioner!!! Come on, you can't work with a guy like that."
— "Argh... but sir..."
— "SHUT UP!!!"
— "AH-AH. OF COURSE, SIR!!!"
— "There's also that Vidraes fellow. That little dog of the Glass Crimsons... Shit, what a fucking bizarre guy. Not as bizarre as Yegrande, of course, but still fucking bizarre! It's the guy with that red armor, you know? Shit, what a fucking ugly armor, it has horns on the bastard's helmet. HORNS!!! Shit. They call him the Master of Massacre, and not for nothing... he has enviable tactical skills. He dismantled this place's defense in seconds, I'll admit... He's not like Yegrande... he's not even touching the common civilians, but what he's doing to those firing back is still brutal... but that high-tech armor still bugs me..."
— "Argh... sir..."
— "There's also Miames... but he's not quite as sickening as Yegrande, or as bizarre as Vidraes. He's just like me... hahah... But that doesn't mean we're lagging behind in any regard... hahah... After all... we four are the Blood Blades, aren't we? The elite massacre group for the Great Councilor... hah... yes... well... I believe soon Yegrande should be sent to PowerMagi... from what I know of him, the type of guy he is... greed will lead him there. As for the Master of Massacre, he's only loyal to the Glass Crimsons. But... we are still the greatest force of chaos for now..."
— "Argh... sir... they escaped..."
Snakesh smiled maliciously, stretching and assuming the deadly posture of a snake's strike.
— "No... hah... I see them perfectly... they are right in front of me."
Like a serpent, he made a swift strike, vanishing from the soldiers' field of vision. Like a quick shadow, the venomous serpent reached Marky and Norty, who were running for their lives.
— "SANCTBLOOD: FANG!!!!"
His SanctBlood was activated. The man was swallowed by the image of an infernal 16-headed and 14-tailed serpent, with 20 arms and claws. The monster's height was about 20 meters. His blood bubbled like explosive venom; that monster was formed from the man's own blood and flesh. Blood exploded in every direction following an infernal, horrific, and agonizing pattern. Marky and Norty noticed that demon too late. Their lives were about to be brutally reaped.
— "SHIT!!! SORRY, NORTY!!!!"
BOOOM!!!
But before that demon could reach them, an explosion swallowed the creature. A rocket smashed into its torso, throwing it far away and crushing the destroyed concrete around. Smoke leaked from the point of impact and, gradually, that monster returned to the man he was before.
— "Argh... argh... it can't be... ROCKET!!! YOU'RE ALIVE!!!"
Marky screamed, seized by an inexplicable sense of relief; his soul found rest at that moment. His eyes filled with tears seeing that Rocket was right in front of him, positioned and tactically crouching on top of a roof.
— "DON'T GET DISTRACTED, DAMN IT!!!"
She yelled back, preparing another shot with her rocket launcher. A handheld weapon with a design similar to an RPG. That weapon was previously incomplete; only one thing was missing to finish it: an impact spring, Jock's gift, who, by now, must have been dead. She prepared another shot, equipping a small missile on the tip of the weapon. That shot would be enough to kill the man in his human form. She aimed steadily at the agonizing, already defeated man. Maximum concentration.
— "HAAAHAHAHAAHAAHAHA!!!!!! COME ON????? AREN'T YOU GOING TO ASK ME TO PLAY?!?!?!?!?!?"
ZVRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!!!!!!
A saw sound, infernal and shrill, ripped through the air toward her. A sense of immeasurable terror took hold of their hearts. That scream, 그 laughter... that wasn't human. It would never be human.
!!!!!!!!
Maximum alert. Along with that infernal sound of two active saws and the demonic laughter, came the loud sound of something dry snapping: it was the concrete being crushed by something completely unnatural that leaped directly toward Rocket.
— "ROCKET!!!! WATCH OUT!!!!"
— "NO!!!!"
Marky and Norty screamed when they noticed, but it was too late. A slender cyborg, 2.20m tall with an infernal ear-to-ear grin. A clown from hell. On his left arm, two saws vibrated in an infernal symphony; those damned saws were responsible for the most brutal deaths happening in that place.
ZZZRRRRRRRRRVVVVVRRRR!!!!!!!!
The saws screamed, announcing the massacre. They approached Rocket's body faster and faster from behind. She looked terrified at that aberration. Her body trembled with fear, but there was no way to escape. It was too late. Soon her body would be torn apart in...
1...
2...
BOOOOM!!!!
A pulse threw the Executioner backward, burying him in the concrete.
— "DAD!!! THANK GOD!!!"
Rocket screamed seeing Naxes, who had just fired a plasma cannon toward Yegrande.
— "YOU'RE ALIVE!!!"
Marky shouted while running toward him. Rocket jumped from the roof and went with tears in her eyes toward her father.
— "NAXES!!! THANK HEAVENS!!! I'M SO GLAD YOU'RE OK!!! THEY... THEY KILLED ANNULA!!! THEY KILLED ZOMBIEDEN... THOSE BASTARDS!!! THEY DESTROYED EVERYTHING!!!"
Norty screamed, crying, hugging Naxes with all his strength. The screams were the agony of his soul. Naxes only responded by placing his hand on the boy's head.
— "It's going to be okay, kid... argh..."
— "Naxes!!! You're hurt, damn it!!!"
Rocket saw a deep cut, over 26 cm long, on his abdomen. It was covered by bandages, but the blood was fresh and the pain was visible. A deep and worrying cut.
— "No... argh... it's okay... let's just get out of here... before..."
ZVRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!!!!!
The shrill saw was returning.
— "SHIT!!! HE'S ALIVE!!!"
Rocket prepared another shot, but the nearly incapacitated Naxes barely had the strength to lift his weapon.
— "HAHAHAAHAAHAHAHA!!!!! NAXES???? I GET IT!!!"
The already fallen demon leaped from the rubble abruptly, landing on the ground and crushing the concrete below his body, face-to-face with them.
— "NAXES??? HAHAHAAHAAH!!! SHIT!!! YOU'RE HIS FATHER!!! HAAHAHH!!!! DAMN!!! NOW THIS IS A SHOW!!!"
The cyborg-shaped demon laughed terrifyingly, contorting himself in hideous and completely non-human gestures.
— "Argh... WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT, DAMN IT???!! YOU THINK YOU CAN STILL LAUGH IN OUR FACES?"
Naxes raised his weapon again, ready for another shot.
— "HAHAHAHAHAAHA!!!! Argh... too bad I'm high... damn, it would be so perfect to disfigure Naxel's father if I were lucid!!! But no problem... I love destroying these worms with my mind full of this stuff. SO IT'LL DO!!!"
Everyone's mind stopped for a moment, along with their bodies. That was the name of Naxes' biological son: Naxel. But his son was very far from there. Who was this cyborg?
— "ARGH!!! WHO THE FUCK ARE YOU?!!?? AND HOW DO YOU KNOW NAXEL'S NAME, YOU BASTARD???!?!!!???"
The cyborg took slow steps toward them. His smile grew; his saw became shriller. The tension was suffocating. Their minds were consumed by that metallic being approaching. Fingers trembled on the trigger. It was hard to swallow saliva; the air was heavy with the smell of blood and smoke. The demon stopped; his smile showed all his teeth. He slid his tongue over them and then opened his arms in a bizarre gesture.
— "AHA!!! I HAD FORGOTTEN!!! A THOUSAND APOLOGIES FOR NOT INTRODUCING MYSELF, DEAR FATHER OF NAXEL!!! MY NAME IS MAZIKIN YEGRANDE!!!! BUT YOU CAN CALL ME THE EXECUTIONER!!!! HAHAAAHA!!! Pleasure... I am your son's best friend... well... at least I was, until he..."
— "SHUT YOUR FUCKING MOUTH!!!! I DON'T KNOW HOW YOU KNOW NAXEL, OR KNOW HIS NAME, OR WHAT YOU DID TO HIM!!! BUT IF I HAVE THE SLIGHTEST SUSPICION YOU TOUCHED HIM, I'LL—"
— "No, no, no... hahah, YOU'RE WRONG!!! I DIDN'T DO ANYTHING TO HIM!!! HE DID THIS TO ME!!! TRANSFORMED ME INTO THIS THING THAT IS REPUGNANT TO YOUR EYES!!! I AM ONE OF HIS LITTLE PROJECTS!!!!!!"
Naxes froze. His heart nearly jumped out of his mouth; he trembled and sweated. He didn't feel fear of the demon in front of him, but of his words, which sounded like a terrible nightmare.
— "AHAH!!! WHAT'S THE MATTER??? ARE YOU IN SHOCK??? DOES DREAMING OF YOUR DEAR LITTLE SON BEING THIS TYPE OF DESPICABLE MONSTER DESTROY YOUR MIND??? YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT KIND OF DEMON NAXEL IS!!! HE IS MUCH WORSE THAN ALL OF US. THE KIND WHO DESTROYS YOUR BODY JUST TO TEST SOMETHING NEW!!! AND DISCARDS YOU LIKE A PIECE OF TRASH THAT WENT WRONG!!! THAT IS THE KIND OF DEMON NAXEL IS!!!!"
ZVVVVRRRRRRRERR!!!!!!
The saw screamed along with the demon's fury. Naxes couldn't move. He heard every word, his eyes glazed. He understood, but he didn't want to. That demon wasn't lying; his way of speaking and mannerisms revealed pure sincerity. And that destroyed Naxes' heart. Rocket, Marky, and Norty were paralyzed seeing the one they placed their last hope in be destroyed by the monster's words.
— "YOU WANT TO KNOW THE KIND OF DEMON NAXEL IS??? DON'T WORRY, I'LL DEMONSTRATE!!! YOU'LL SEE WHEN I DESTROY YOUR BODY COMPLETELY AND THEN DISCARD YOU LIKE USELESS TRASH!!! THEN YOU'LL HAVE A SENSE OF WHAT KIND OF DEMON NAXEL IS!!!"
Naxes felt like vomiting. He couldn't imagine what his son had become. Was that cyborg really his work?
— "Yegrande... that's enough..."
VUSH!
A giant man wearing crimson armor positioned himself beside the Executioner. His armor was like blood—heavy and with a clear technological influence. Horns projected from his helmet. He carried a spear over three meters long with artificial runes that glowed in an infernal red, powered by an arcane core in his chest. He placed his hand on the Executioner's shoulder.
— "ARGH!!! BASTARD!!!"
An infernal pressure threw him to his knees. That man was dominant there; the Executioner had no voice or strength against him.
— "Bas... Bastard!... what do you want... Master of Massacre?!"
Yegrande was under extreme pressure; just one of the hands of Vidraes, the Master of Massacre, was enough to keep him immobile.
— "You are taking our mission personally... that is unacceptable!"
The pressure grew even more; Yegrande's feet sank into the ground.
— "Argh... don't fuck around! You do this to have some kind of salvation, don't you? So mind your business and I'll mind mine!"
— "Do not confuse my sacred objectives with your hallucinatory delusions, Executioner! I serve Her Ladyship of the Glass Crimson to wash my dirty soul! The massacre is merely the way the gods gave me to wash it... do not confuse it with your stupid revenge!"
The smile returned to Yegrande's face.
— "Hah... you're as lunatic as I am, aren't you? Massacre for salvation... that's why I hate these religious lunatics..."
— "What did you say??!!!?!?"
The Master of Massacre raised his spear. His cape danced in the chaos; he prepared divine punishment for Mazikin Yegrande.
BOOOOM!!!!
Rocket took advantage of the distraction and fired again. The Executioner and the Master of Massacre were thrown for meters amidst the flames, sinking into the destruction until they were out of sight.
— "LET'S ESCAPE!!! FAST!!! MY WEAPON IS IN THE TESTING PHASE, I DON'T KNOW IF IT'S ENOUGH TO KILL!!!"
She pulled Naxes by the wrist, who could barely keep the pace due to his injury. Marky and Norty took the lead in the escape.
— "WE HAVE TO FIND MANA!!! SHE HAS TO BE ALIVE!!!"
— "I KNOW!!! DAMN IT!!! WHERE THE HELL COULD SHE BE, WHAT A NIGHTMARE!!!" — Marky replied, assuming a leader's stance.
Rocket thought fast, looking for places where Mana could be.
— "I HAVE AN IDEA!!!" — Norty shouted. — "THE EDELGEAR!!! WE MOVED IT FROM THE WORKSHOP EARLIER!!! MANA HELPED!!! SHE MUST HAVE BEEN WORRIED ABOUT THE WORK!!! IT'S IN MARKY'S TOOL GARAGE!!! WE HAVE TO GO SEE!!!"
Norty was right. If Mana was alive, she could only be there, taking care of her father's project.
— "WE HAVE TO GO NOW!!! WITH THIS TYPE OF MONSTER HERE, WE HAVE NO GUARANTEE HOW MUCH LONGER SHE'LL BE ALIVE!!!"
— "LET'S GO!!!!"
A simple yet enormous garage was on fire inside and out. Something was happening inside. Footsteps and screams could be heard.
TAP! TAP! TAP! TAP! TAP!
Something too fast, wrapped in shadows, broke the rhythm of the steps in a swift and cutting motion.
VASH!!!
The movement was deflected and, as a defense, shots from a pistol already drawn were fired.
BANG! BANG!
The two shots were swallowed by the darkness. In response, the darkness lunged brutally in a direct attack, hitting her square.
CRACK!!!
A pipe was completely crushed by the body of the young girl thrown against it. Gas leaked from the destroyed object as she got to her knees, without giving up.
— "ARGH!!! BASTARD!!!!"
Even in pain, she aimed her nearly empty pistol. Her dark gaze said not to give up, for anything.
BANG! BANG!
Once again, a useless effort. The darkness absorbed the shots like shadows swallowing light. Firearms would be useless.
— "HAHAH! HOW USELESS!"
— "BASTARD, DIE... ARGH!!!"
She was lifted by the darkness, pressed against the wall and crushed. A hand emerged and squeezed her neck, suffocating her. Her head took on a purplish tint; blood began to pool. It wouldn't be long before she lost consciousness.
— "Look at that... I caught her... the pathetic traitor Reixys... Mana Reixys... this is the punishment for your treason!"
The darkness sneered; the grip grew tighter.
— "Traitor?... Reixys?... What crap are you talking about?..." — Nearly unconscious, she questioned herself.
— "Argh... haven't you realized? This is your punishment, Mana Reixys! For having betrayed the Reixys House and turned against the Noble Arcane Houses and the Royal Family! This is your punishment FOR HAVING SHOWN YOUR TRUE ESSENCE TO THOSE WHO COMMAND THE WORLD!"
Mana was at her limit.
— "For turning against Lord Hiro Reixys and proving yourself a danger to society! We, the Four Blood Blades, were sent to burn this whole place down in the name of Lord Reixys and the Reixys House!"
A man revealed himself within the darkness: blue military garments and the large crest of the Reixys House on his chest. He pulled a severed head from the darkness.
— "ARGHH!!!!"
Mana screamed, vomiting immediately afterward on the man's hand, who threw her to the ground.
— "DISGUSTING!" — He tossed the head on the floor. — "THIS IS WHAT YOU GET FOR SHOWING SUCH DISOBEDIENCE!!!... Besides, this thing..."
— He said, observing the EdelGear in the center of the garage, powered by an energy source. — "This was what you were protecting here, wasn't it?"
— "PLEASE, NO!!!"
Too late. The man advanced, brutally damaging the exterior of the EdelGear.
BVRRRRR!!!
An electric wave leaked everywhere. The stone, which had not yet been replaced, collapsed in an arcane wave accumulated for years.
BLOOOM!!!
The wave threw them back and soon dissipated. Mana, almost without strength, crawled. The project was seriously damaged. She cried, helpless. Their life's work was practically lost.
— "Argh... bitch, this technological abomination nearly killed me... YOU WILL PAY FOR THIS!!!"
The man prepared. His intention was singular: kill Mana and deliver her head to Hiro. It would be perfect. He lunged with a deadly attack; his hand converted into a cutting shadow using his SanctBlood.
— "DIE!!!"
He lunged to rip her head off.
BLOOOM!!!
A plasma shot enveloped his body first, deflecting his attack and throwing him with brutal force out of the garage.
— "ARGHH!!!"
Before crashing through the walls, he saw the face of Naxes Heaves Xplorer.
— "SO IT'S YOU!!!" — was his final cry.
— "MANA!!!"
Rocket ran toward Mana, who was sobbing over the damaged EdelGear.
— "MY SISTER, PLEASE, TELL ME YOU'RE OK!!!"
Rocket hugged her. Mana cried like a broken child.
— "Ro... Rocket... I... I lost the project... I'm sorry... we lost the EdelGear... it was all my fault... I'm sorry, please... Dad... he..."
Rocket began to cry as well. Her eyes were taken by emotions she never thought she'd feel.
— "It's okay, Mana... the important thing is that you're okay, little sister... I promise... Dad and I... it's going to be okay... we're getting out of here now, you hear me?"
Rocket stood up, pulling Mana along and wiping the tears from her face. She turned to Marky, Naxes, and Norty.
— "Marky, the routes are almost all full of these guys. We can't risk it. Dad is badly hurt, Norty is shaken... we have to try through the sewers!"
Marky panted with extreme exhaustion. He rested his hands on his waist.
— "Look, Rocket... huff... Naxes is spent... Norty needs time to process this... Mana is destroyed by what happened to the EdelGear... and you and I need to talk... the situation is critical."
Rocket sighed. She knew he was right. Escaping immediately would be risky. She looked at him with a smile amidst the hell. She was happy she hadn't lost him.
— "You're right, heh... Honestly, you're the one I'm happiest to see okay... I don't know what would happen if I lost you, Marky... you know, right?... even in the middle of all this, I—"
BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!
— "...love you."
— "HAHAH!!! I HIT HIM, SHIT!!! DID YOU SEE THAT, YEGRANDE??? THE MOTHERFUCKER IS FULL OF HOLES!!!"
Rocket saw her world plummet.
— "Argh!"
Marky vomited blood. Several vital points were pierced by the shots. His vision blurred. He stumbled, struggling to keep his balance, and looked into Rocket's eyes.
— "I... I love you too!"
CLAP!
His body fell to the ground as life left his eyes. Rocket stared at the body of the one she loved most, already lifeless. A pool of blood was forming.
— "HAHAHAHAHAH!!! WHAT A FUCKING GREAT AIM, HUH, YOU BASTARD! RIDDLED THE GUY!!!"
Mazikin Yegrande laughed outside. Beside him, Snakesh—the one responsible for Marky's death—held the still-smoking gun.
On the other side, the Master of Massacre.
All were damaged by Rocket's previous attacks. Yegrande had half his torso and an arm destroyed; Snakesh was relying on a firearm; Vidraes had his armor in ruins. But there they were, ready to finish the job.
— "May the gods absorb your sinful souls... may the Crimson purify our dirty sins... thus I purify myself... through massacre..." — Vidraes said a prayer.
— "I'm telling you... this guy is crazy, crazy..."
— Yegrande mocked.
Rocket heard every laugh. Naxes watched closely, waiting for the right moment. He was wounded and needed to calculate every action. Norty was in total horror, seeing the body of his teacher on the ground. Mana was in a trance, living the same spiral of destruction from four years ago. But the one who felt the loss the most was Rocket.
— "YOU BASTARDS!!!! I'M GOING TO KILL YOU ALL!!!!"
Seized by rage, she made a rash decision. She grabbed the rocket launcher and positioned it on her shoulder.
— "ARRREGHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!"
— "NO, ROCKET!!! DON'T DO IT!" — Naxes tried to warn her, but it was in vain.
— "SHE'S GOING TO FIRE AGAIN, VIDRAES! DON'T LET HER!" — Snakesh shouted.
— "THEY SHALL NOT PREVENT MY REDEMPTION!!!"
CRACK!!!!
VAHHHHMMMMMSSSSSHH!!!!!!!!!
Vidraes slammed his spear into the ground. A red wave of electrified arcane energy exploded, sweeping through everything.
BOOOOM!!!
The garage exploded into billions of fragments. When the smoke cleared, Norty's body was buried, showing no signs of life. Rocket was injured, crushed by rubble, holding Marky's body until she lost consciousness. Mana was thrown to the ground, covered in burns. Naxes, protecting Mana from the impact, suffered extremely grave damage. The explosion revealed a passage to the Fell River, deep and dangerous.
BVVVVZZZZZZZZZZRRRRRR!!!!!
The Executioner's saws roared. Naxes pulled Mana, hugging her and throwing her toward the water.
FAZZZZZHHHHHH!!!!!!!
— "Argh!!!... you... argh... liked me, didn't you?"
Yegrande's saw brutally pierced Naxes' torso, ripping through his abdomen and chest.
— "HAHAH!!! THIS IS A SOUVENIR FROM NAXEL!!! FAMILY MATTERS, RIGHT???"
— "Hah... argh... cough cough... YOU AREN'T FUCKING FAMILY!!!"
Using his last strength, Naxes lunged forward. The saws nearly split his body in half. With a final effort, he pushed the horrified Mana into the Fell River, falling in with her. The Executioner wiped the blood from his saws and spat on the ground.
— "Right in your face... you pile of shit... dead meat!"
He left without looking back.
— "Shit... we lost the deserter Reixys! They won't forgive us for letting a terrorist escape!" — said Snakesh.
— "No... the massacre was done... the souls reaped here will cleanse ours..." — Vidraes interrupted.
---
— "Mana... listen to me... argh... listen to me, please..."
Hours later, Mana woke up. Injuries all over her body, broken bones, burns. She was on the bank of the river where the current had taken her.
— "Argh... please, Mana... listen to me..."
Beside her, carried by the same current, was Naxes. He was stammering his last words.
— "DAD!!! PLEASE, NO!!! DAD!!! MY GOD!!! PLEASE, DON'T GO!!!"
She fell into despair, crawling toward him.
— "DAD!!! LOOK, DON'T SLEEP, OK??? YOU'RE GOING TO BE FINE, I KNOW YOU ARE! JUST WAIT!!! I'LL BE ABLE TO HELP!!!"
Naxes slowly placed his hand on her face.
— "Please, Mana... just listen to me..."
"I... I honestly don't remember anything he told me... I only remember that that was the night I lost my father... my family... I lost everything I had... because of them!!! BECAUSE OF THEM!!! BECAUSE OF THOSE BASTARDS!!! I AM GOING TO DESTROY THE WORLD BECAUSE OF THEM!!! THE DAMNED WORLD THEY INHABIT!!! IT DOESN'T MATTER WHAT I HAVE TO DO!!!... But one thing I am certain of about that night was that I died for the third time."